Who would have thought prehistoric mammals in the Jurassic Era were picky eaters?

A new scientific analysis of tiny fossils of Morganucodon and Kuehneotherium, the two earliest shrew-sized mammals, reveal they fed on distinct types of insects.

Jurassic mammals developed new characteristics like better hearing and teeth capable of precise chewing during this era, said researchers.

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By analyzing their jaw mechanisms and fossilized teeth, scientists found these mammals had evolved specialized feeding diets.

Pamela Gill from the University of Bristol in the UK explained that none of the fossils from the earliest mammals have exceptional preservation abilities, including stomach contents to infer diet.

Therefore, researchers used a range of techniques they applied to the fossils to find broken and isolated teeth that could determine their diet.

The results confirm the diversion of mammalian species at the time was linked to different diet and ecology, she added.

For this study, researchers used synchrotron X-rays and CT scans revealed details of the tiny jaws of the mammals that were 2 centimeters in length. They reconstructed the jaws from the many pieces and stitched these together.

They used the finite element modeling, the same technique used to design hip joints and bridges, for the computational analysis of the jaw's strength.

Through this study, researchers found that Morganucodon and Kuehneotherium caught and chewed their prey differently.

They explained Morganucodon and Kuehneotherium had very different microwear patterns for microscopic pits and scratches.

Moganucodon ate crunchier food items like beetles while Kuehneotherium ate softer foods like scorpion flies.

Emily Rayfield, one of the researchers, said this study is important because it shows features that make a mammal unique.

She said they have one set of replacement teeth, a specialized jaw joint and hearing apparatus associated with the earliest mammals.